When his former player and longtime assistant Jerod Haase was hired as the head coach at UAB, North Carolina head coach Roy Williams threw his protege a bone by agreeing to play a game at UAB. And on Sunday night the Blazers took full advantage of the opportunity, knocking off the 16th-ranked Tar Heels 63-59 behind a 25-point effort from junior Chad Frazier.

The problem for North Carolina: they were outclassed on the glass. UAB out-rebounded North Carolina 52-37 (Fahro Alihodzic grabbed 13 of those 52 boards) with 21 of those boards coming on the offensive end, which works out to an offensive rebounding percentage of 44.7%. The Blazers may have been outscored 13-12 in second chance points, but those rebounding numbers made a major difference as UAB built a lead that reached 15 points late in the first half.

Just one week ago there was optimism regarding North Carolina’s play in a win over Louisville, with sophomore guard Marcus Paige being the biggest reason why. UAB was able to limit Paige to 13 points on 6-for-16 shooting, with 11 of those points scored in the second half. J.P. Tokoto was the biggest reason why UNC was able to remain within striking distance at the half, as he scored nine of his team-high 17 points.

If anything was learned on Sunday night it’s that regardless of who the Tar Heels have on the perimeter and how much Paige scores, the big men have to show up on a nightly basis. That includes James Michael McAdoo, who accounted for just six points (3-for-13 FG) and four rebounds against UAB. Simply put that kind of effort won’t get the job done, especially when considering the fact that he entered the game averaging 15.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Joel James, Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks combined to contribute 19 points and 19 rebounds against UAB, and while each has shown flashes at various points in the season are any really in position to be “the man” inside right now? Most would answer “no” to that question, and with that being the case North Carolina needs a collective effort inside if they’re to be successful.

Would it be nice to know the statuses of P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald? Yes, and their return would give North Carolina two more perimeter shooters to help Paige carry the offensive load. But the absence of Hairston and McDonald shouldn’t have that much of an impact on how the big men rebound, and if North Carolina is to play at or close to the level they displayed last weekend they have to receive better play from the front court.